Florida Rum, Madagascar Flavor

While searching for the best beans he could find, Travis connected with a non-profit organization called LaFaza. (Since then it has become a for-profit business.) In Madagascar, many of the bean suppliers are owned or run by cartels that supply beans to larger businesses such as Breyers ice cream. The cartels push for quantity, and the farmers under them have to rush to fill quotas, often picking beans before the flavor has time to mature.

LaFaza does business differently. The company partners with farmers, encouraging them to pick the beans at the peak of ripeness, while also doing business sustainably and ethically. For the Sheltra brothers, working with LaFaza is a way to support small independent farmers, while getting the best bean possible.

As the chefs in their restaurants started using the bean in crème brûlée and tiramisu, the brothers noticed how the ingredient enhanced the caliber of the desserts. They began to think that the beans would go well in rum. The Sheltra brothers did a test run, spicing up a less-expensive rum by placing one of their well-sourced vanilla beans in the bottle to infuse the rum with the flavor.

With the first sip of the infused rum, the Sheltras realized they had something special. However, while they had been able to source high-quality vanilla, they weren’t experts at making rum. A few attempts and false starts were enough for them to seek out a master distiller. Through one of their partners, they connected with subject matter experts Niki and Dustin Skartved, a husband and wife team who own south Florida Citrus Distillers in Riviera Beach, a distillery specializing in private label spirits for businesses.

An important aspect of the Sheltra brothers' rum is its mascot, a ring-tailed lemur called Madi, which is featured on the label. Lemurs are only found in the Comoro Islands and Madagascar Islands off the coast of Africa, and many varieties face extinction due to habitat loss. The Sheltra brothers commit a portion of the proceeds of all sales to a non-profit called Planet Madagascar, which helps the island reforest, provides basic sanitation and water and helps build sustainable communities.

According to Travis, the non-profit was an effective way to demonstrate to the islanders how to use the resource of the forest to attract tourists. He believes that practical and profitable sustainability is the way toward preservation, to keep the environment and native culture intact.

When they started the process, the Sheltras wanted as simple a flavor profile base as possible so that the complexity of the vanilla would be the star of the rum. While a wood flavor can be found in many rums, not a drop of Madi Rum touches wood. (You may see barrels marked Madi Rum at Prohibition Kitchen, but those are just for decorative purposes, though the brothers are talking about doing a limited wood cask run in the future.)

A testament to vanilla’s versatility, the flavor of Madi Rum works in just about any mixed drink: from creamy, frothy adult milkshakes to fruity summer drinks to rich, fall-flavored cocktails. “Not only do we market Madi Rum to bars, but we want to market it to kitchens. It’s got that vanilla flavor,” said Shane, who knows from the kitchen-tested experience what a difference their rum can make in a dessert, such as the Madi Rum Bread Pudding.

About two years ago the brothers launched the first finished bottle at Prohibition Kitchen. Other local restaurants have also started using the product and a number of local package liquor stores now carry the rum. Currently Madi Rum is only available for purchase in the St. Augustine area, but the brothers are looking to expand slowly into other markets.

“We believe in developing a really hard-core fan-base and nucleus here and...not spreading ourselves too thin,” Shane said. For now, exploring options and making culinary discoveries along the way are a path the Sheltras are happy to follow.

Want to know where you can pick up a bottle of this vanilla infused rum? Visit Madi Rum for more information on Northeast Florida distribution locations.